1. Field of the Invention
This invention is a scheduled data transmission system comprising user terminals connected to a communications network, wireless calling equipment for transmitting data for execution of prescribed processes with respect to wireless terminals on the basis of instructions from the user terminals, and transmission servers; a scheduled data transmission method; and a transmission server, and more particularly provides a scheduled message transmission service, mail waiting notification service, a registration area change service, a password setup/cancellation service, and other services.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, individual portable wireless terminals such as handy phones, Personal Handy Phone system (PHS), pagers, and the like have some into widespread use in business and personal applications. These systems utilize telephones for voice communications, and transmit prescribed messages.
Meanwhile, computer communications networks such as the Internet are also becoming popular, and transmission of data among computers has become easy.
It is possible to connect a portable wireless terminal to the Internet in order to send and receive data; if the proper system were set up, it would also be possible to control portable wireless terminals through the Internet. Linking the two would make it possible to provide various services, such as message transfer services.
While not directly related to the area of portable wireless terminals, Kokai 8-103199 discloses a message transfer system for use in a computer network environment. It discloses a technique whereby messages can be transferred automatically by storing in a storage area messages that have been transmitted through communications circuits and analyzing them in an analysis area on the basis of user data tables located in a table area; the user registers the name of the transfer server which is the intended recipient of the message.
However, in this technique of the prior art, the message recipient is determined from the long-in/log-out status of the computer users, from the up/down status of the hardware, and from the connection status among computers; thus, even if it could be implemented in a computer network, it would not be possible to control or conduct message transfer with various types of portable wireless terminals. Even if it should become possible, users would experience inconvenience in some cases.
In the area of data communications over the Internet, best effort, that is, the delivery of information to intended recipients tin as timely a fashion as possible, has always been the goal. However, depending on the intended use and mode of use, this is not always necessary, and in some cases delayed arrival of information may be more in line with the needs of the intended recipient.